Golf ball cleaning device



Sept. 15 1931. F. M. CASE GOLF BALL CLEANING DEVICE Filed Aug. 28, 1926 Paten tecl Sept. 15, 193 1- I UNITED STATES rarer FFEQE FRANCIS CASE, OF CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR F ONE-FOURTH TO B. W. BROCKETT AND THREE-FOURTHS TO BLUFORD W. BROCKETT AND ELBERT' L. HYDE GOLF BALL CLEANING DEVICE Application filed August 28, 1926. Serial N0. 132,153.

This invention relates to improvements in devices for cleaning balls, such as golf balls, for example.

Theobject of the present invention is to provide an improved device of this character which is of simpleand inexpensive construction, 2 comprising a minimum number of parts; which is strong and durable and not likely to get out 'of order in service; and which is provided with a passageway along which the balls, are moved by a cleaning means in the form of a rotatable brush, said balls being cleaned by said means during such movement. I I a Further objects of the invention are in part obvious and in part will appear more in detail hereinafter.

In the drawings, which represents one suitable embodiment of the invention, Fig. 1' is a sectional view of the device, taken on the line 1-1, Fig. 3; Fig. 2 is a similar view, taken on the line 22, Fig. 3; and Fig. 3 is also a sectional view, taken partly on the line 3-3, Fig. 1, and partly on the line 33, Fig. 2. V

The device illustrated in the drawings includes a suitable metal casing, comprising a cup-shaped body member 1 and a removable circular disk-like cover member 2, the con- .30 nection therebetween being of any suitable water-tight character. The end wall 3 of said body member is provided with a centrally disposed opening 4 with which communicates an upwardly extending radial passage .35 or conduit 5 formed by the tubular wall portion 6, preferably integral with said wall 3, as shown. Said passage is open at its outer or upper end and is of a size to receive the balls to be cleaned. v J

Suitably arranged with the cup-shaped casing body member 1 is a wall or partition member 10, extending normal or at right angles to the casing end wall 3 with which it engages and to which it is suitably secured. Said partition member is of curved form and extends from one edge of an external opening 11 in the cylindrical casing wall portion 12 to a point at substantially thecenter of the easing body member, asclearly indicated in the 5.0 drawings. Said partition member, which is of substantially half the width of the cylindrical body wall portion 12, forms a golf ball receiving chamber 15 at substantially the center of the body member 1 and a spirally extending passage 16 communicating with said chamber and leading to the side wall opening 11 of the casing body member. The upwardly extending, radial passage 5 forms the entrance passage for the balls to be cleaned, which drop by gravity throughsaid passage and the body end wall opening 4 into the central chamber 15, while the spiral passage 16 forms the exit or discharge passage for the balls, as will later appear.-

Suitably mounted upon the inner end portion of the partition member 10, which terminates as before mentioned at substantially the center of the cup-shaped body member 1, is a bracket 20 which forms a support or bearing for the inner end portion of a shaft 21. The outer end portion of this shaft is supported in an outwardly extending, centrally disposed boss 22 of the disk-like casing cover member 2, and the extreme outer end of the shaft is provided with an operat- 7 ing handle 23. Pinned or otherwise suitably mounted upon the intermediate portion of this shaft between the cover member 2 and the partition member 10 is a circular disk 25, the inner face of which is covered by closely spaced bristles 26. These bristles are of such length and the passage 16 is of such width that a ball traveling through said passageis more or less forcibly engaged by the free ends of said bristles, as clearly indicated in Fig. 5 3. Thus it will be seen that the casing end wall portion 3 forms the right boundary for passage 16, as viewed in Fig. 3, while the bris- V tles 26 form the left boundary thereof.

In use of the device, the casing is partly filled with water or other cleaning liquid, as indicated in Fig. 2, and a golf or other ball isdropped through passage 5 into the central chamber 15, a golf ball 7 being shown in said chamber in Fig. 2. The shaft 21 is then turned in a clockwise direction by operation of handle 23, which will cause said ball to travel in a similar direction out through the spiral passage 16, due to the frictional engagementof the bristles 26 of said brush with said' ball. All portions of the outer surface the shaft upon which rotates said brush meniof said ball will be presented to the bristles duringthe travel of the ball through said passage sothat the entire outer surface of i the ball will be thoroughly cleaned. It will be noticedthat substantially one-half of the 7 central ball receiving chamber 15 and an appreciable part of the lower portion of pas-.

sage 16 are filled with water, or other liquid,

which materially facilitates and expedites the cleaning operation. When it is desired her.

In testnnon s1gnature.

to change the water, it may be readilywith drawn through the normally closed drain opening 28 in the lower portion of the cylindrical casing wall 12;

' If desired, the entrance passage 5 may be dispensed with or not used, and the balls dropped through opening 11, being moved inwardly toward the center of the casing by reverse or counter-clockwiserotation of the brush 25. Clockwise rotation of said brush will then bring the balls back to opening 11 in a clean condition. a

The casing may be mounted or supported in any suitable manner and by any suitable means. Inthe embodiment here shown, the

t casingend wall 3 is provided with a socket wall portion 29, in alignment with the tubular passage wall portion 6, to receivea post or rod 30.

Thus it will be seen that have provided a golf ball Washer which is of simple con struction and in which a golf ball may be easily and quickly cleaned and delivered to the outside by simply turning the handle 23. Other advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which it relates.

What I claim is:

l. A ball cleaning device, comprising a casing having a generally cylindrical liquidreceiving chamber provided with end walls and also having means for supporting it with the cylinder axis horizontal, one of said end walls having an entrance opening near said axis and outside of said chamber being provided with a ball receiving conduit leading from an upper point on the casing to said en trance opening, the inner face of said wall serving as an abutment face along which balls to be cleaned are moved, a manually rotatable disc Torin brush member journa'lled in the other end wall near the aXis of the cylinder and presenting its bristles endwise as a flat face parallel to said abutment faceand spaced therefrom by less than the diameter of a ball to be cleaned, and a spiral ball guiding wall coiled in the space between said brush and abutment faces and forming a circuitous passage leading from the entrance opening to a discharge opening at a high point in the casmg.

2. A ball cleaning device as set forth in claim 1 characterized in that the inner end of said ball guiding wall forms a bearingfor 

